Block Island, welcome back to The Surf

The Surf Hotel is alive and well! Welcome back after 5 years of resting your bones. You're a charming and elegant old lady, as always. It's great to be back on Block Island with the family. We have more toys loaded in and on my truck than you could shake yer bootie at, just like old times. Here's what we do with all of that stuff- Windsurfing- Saturday, Ben spends some quality time getting knocked around in the chop, then Josh and I take some runs, trading off the 5.2/ 4.2 sails. It's a gusty, scrappy wind but fun to do speed runs in the gusts and hang out together in the shallows catching our breath. It's kinda nostalgic. Andy's Way, SSW 13-27, 5.2/Acid 94 & 4.2/Carve 123. Josh, Ben, Barb, like old times Kiting- Saturday, Yeah after getting exhausted from windsurfing in the twitchy wind, I put up a kite to smooth out the peaks and valleys. It works. My arms thank me. Andy's Way, SSW 11-24, 10M Rally/Flx 138, with Bob from Nahant, 1 other. Biking- Everybody bikes. We have 6 people and 1 truck. (Josh brought friend Pete, Ben brought friend Nicky). Sometimes we have to bike just to get around. It's the thing to do on B.I. Boating- The kids use the boat everyday. The floorboard cracks in the bow on the last day creating some anxiety for Ben and Nicky. Josh might have stressed it by racing me with the boat while I'm windsurfing on Sat in 13-27 MPH and pretty big chop. He's running it full speed and slapping that boat thru the bumps like a banshee. I'm faster. Pete in boat, Josh on windsurfer, the race is on, (this is before it got really windy) SUPing- Sunday, I put on my drysuit and take out the SUP in the rain. I don't know why nobody else joins me. Kiting- Monday, 1 sunrise session in front of the Surf Hotel in N wind, such a good direction for this spot! It's dream conditions with small waves rolling in, smooth water, low tide. It has everything but wind. I launched from Old Harbor and kited upwind to Crescent Beach in the few gusts. I should have just launched from the hotel. Crescent Beach, N, 7-15, 17M Fat Lady/ Mako King. Fishing- Monday, at the Coast Guard Station with squid, 1 pound sinkers, slack tide. Ben catches 3 Scup, Nicky catches 2. I cook Ben's after we return home.

Block Island Weekend Highlights

Windsurfing- Josh, "I'd forgotton how much fun windsurfing in light winds can be!" We couldn't get him off the water. On Monday we got some planing wind a little before we had to leave for the ferry. Josh, Bob, and I got on it for a few hours at the Coast Guard station. We gave Josh's girlfriend, Cricket, an intro to windsurfing. She did pretty well but seemed to come away with the feeling that the sport is really hard. It's too bad that we don't have a good teaching board like the Starboard Start. Other highlights from a mostly warm, sunny, light wind 3 days- catching a seahorse while snorkeling with Josh and Cricket, pulling Ben behind the boat on the Carve 123, first time breaking out my new trainer kite, a beautiful hike on the clayhead trail in "The Maze" with Ben and Barbara, pitching to Ben for a couple of hours each day and watching his hits sail over my head.

BLOCK ISLAND WEEKEND, Windsurfed on Monday, SSW, 18-23 building to 23-33, 5.2/RW 85, Tony, Margie, Sherry, Bob, Constance, John from B.I.

Mohegan Bluffs Catch of the day- panties Saturday & Sunday- Sunny, warm, light winds; good for long bike rides, unicycling, boating in the Great Salt Pond, fishing, snorkeling, lots of baseball, walking to town for dinner. Not so good for windsurfing. These first 2 days were so active that I woke up with complaining muscles on Monday morning(the sign of a good vacation). Josh and I saw some big bass when we were snorkeling in the deep cove behind the Coast Guard station, but Josh and Ben had no luck fishing there from the boat that night. Monday, windsurfing- Beauty day! Still sunny and warm, but windy too. Really windy. I couldn't believe that the 5.2 was O.K. with gusts into the low 30's. It was fun having so much power! I could plane through some big holes, decoupling wind. I guess it's easier to handle a slightly oversized sail when sailing on mostly flat water. I got lots of jump practice, although I didn't feel like I was getting enough height to go for loops. At least that's the excuse I gave myself. The boys unicycled at Andy's Way while I was windsurfing. Barbara worked on her R & R. 2 boys, 1 unicycle Narragansett Inn- Worked out O.K. No heat in the rooms, was a little cold at times. The lawn was great for baseball practice! It was a nice walk, bike/uni to town for dinner or desert. Eating on the porch was nice. I missed the beauty and wildness of the open ocean at Crescent Beach, and the gathering effect of the Surf Hotel's lobby & porches, but this new lady has it's charms. Growing Pains- Josh is at the age when he doesn't know whether he wants to go on these family trips or stay home to be with his friends. 1 week before the trip, he told me that he was looking forward to Block Island. Then, when we were on the ferry to the island, he told me that he had tickets and a backstage pass to a concert over the weekend that he was going to miss. He had forgotten all about it until it was too late. And life sucks. Block Island, and all the special activities such as windsurfing, snorkeling, etc. are just about the best cure I know for, "life sucks", but it didn't completely work it's magic for Josh like it did for the rest of us. I had a few sad moments, thinking about how passionate Josh used to be about this trip. I guess it's just part of watching children grow up, something is gained and something is lost.

Cow on Wheels

Block Island, Andy's Way, Wndsrfd, with Barbara, Tony, Margie, Michael, W 10-25, Carve123/ 6.2,

Gone fishing- Josh, Ben and I had the ambitious idea of getting up at 5:00 am to launch the boat and get out fishing before the 6:00 am sunrise. First problem was that the wind was kind of strong where we had the boat pulled up at Andy's way. We could see the foam blowing up on the beach with our flashlights and we didn't feel like getting soaked with spray in our pre-dawn sleepiness. So we drove to the Coast Guard Station and fished from the shore. Second problem, no fish, no bites, no sign of anything from pre-dawn to post-dawn. Third problem, we were all pretty tired for the rest of the morning. Josh was so exhausted and teenager-like that he stayed in the Hotel for the rest of the day, coding a computer program to calculate voltage, current and resistance for any given variable, and missed a good windsurfing day.
Flat water day- Barbara got out on the 5.2 but was a little underpowered. I think the wind was in a slump for a few hours during her session. I got out later, in about 10 MPH of wind, but got lucky when the wind cranked up to full-on planing for a while before dropping off again later in the afternoon. Ben was too tired to windsurf but we had a lot of fun tidal-pooling while Barbara sailed. The day started out with rain but turned into one of those beautiful, sunny, summery days when it feels like you're sailing in a postcard picture.
Fond farewell to the Surf- We were all very sad that this was the last weekend that the Surf Hotel will be open, at least in it's current state. Loraine and family are retiring and have the hotel up for sale. Most of us have been going on this trip, twice a year, for 15 or 20 years. The Surf, with its quirkiness, informality, and old Victorian charm, has been the perfect location for our motley crew of boardsailors, bikers, and birders. We have all become very attached to it and it's owners. There was a farewell party, put on by many long-time guests, with lots of joking, singing and picture taking. Renee wrote a lyric, (I contributed 1 verse), to the tune of, "Thanks for the Memory". All the AMCers sang it during the party. It got lots of laughs and a few tears. Two memories that sum it up for me; the luxurious feeling of a hot shower in the hotel right after a stormy, frigid NE'ster session in the Crescent Beach waves; listening to the howl and whine of a strengthening wind mingle with the sound of surf through the open window of our room during the night- it all sounds so loud when the waves are crashing on rocks almost directly beneath the window.
Top picture- Surf Hotel at low tide,
beachside- Crescent Beach.
Bottom picture- morning view from the
harborside porch.

Block Island, Andy's Way, Windsurfed, Boat-surfed, SW 10-22?, Carve123/5.7 & 6.2, Josh, Barbara, AMCers

Great wind in the morning; Bob and Sherry were the early birds, ripping it up, then Barbara and Josh, Tony and Margie, Dave and Renee, Constance. I was beaching with Ben and didn't get sailing until the afternoon when the wind had dropped off, more non-planing freestyle. The wind picked up towards the end of the day but we had 2 tons of equipment to carry up and derig before catching the ferry so I only squeezed in a few planing runs. Tony and Margie rode it right up to the bitter end. Good for them!
Picture; Barbara blasting at Andy's Way.

Boat-Surfing; O.K. here's a light wind alternative. In the afternoon, Josh, Ben and I took turns riding the Acid94 behind the inflatable like we were waterskiing. I bought a tow rope with a handle last year with hopes that this would work. It was fun! That little 8 horsepower motor was enough to get the boat and towee on plane. After a while, we were able to get up and stand on the board, at least until we fell.

Tug Boat; While we were boat-surfing we got flagged down from a much bigger boat with motor trouble. They asked us to tow them to their mooring at Andy's Way. It must have looked funny to see this large boat, full of people, being pulled by our tiny inflatable, like a massive barge being pulled by a mini tug. It worked surprisingly well and I think we built some good will for all crazed water sports enthusiasts.

Block Island, Light Wind, Alternative Activities

Not enough wind to plane anything without a motor
Fishing, boating, snorkeling,baseball, and enjoying the beautiful Block Island vistas. No windsurfing but life is still O.K.
Ben Baseball Champion! Ben had been off island, up to this point, because his baseball team qualified for a special, “City Series”, playoff. He got to stay with his coach’s family last night and then played the last game today. They won! Ben pitched in all 3 games, including the last 4 innings of today’s game, without letting in a single run. I drove back to catch the last half of the game and pick Ben up. We were back on the island by dinner time. Ben got hit on the cheek by a wild pitch in game 1, left a nasty bruise with cuts in the shape of the baseball seams. He got the game ball, for MVP, from 2 of the 3 games. He is a very excited boy!

Pictures; Ben pitching, Josh in inflatable, Josh unicycling.

Block Island, Andy's Way, Windsurfed, SW 10-18, with Josh, 6.2/Carve123

Beautiful warm sunny day: Temp close to 80 on the island. The 6.2 was a little too small to keep me on plane in the light winds, too big for some of the non-planning freestyle moves. I tried the loop exercise again but I couldn’t get around as far as last weekend. I think it was because of the 6.2/longer boom. I couldn’t reach as far back on the boom before jumping. I mostly stayed in the shallows over the sandbar.
Josh was on the 6.8. He was planing about half the time. He definitely has the footstraps down. He was having no trouble getting in and out of them even in the marginal winds. It was such a nice day on the water that Josh and I were both having a hard time stopping. Josh said, “Dad, there’s something wrong”! I asked what it was and he said, “windsurfing is too much fun, I can’t stop”. That’s one problem he’s inherited from his old man.
Seal; There was a dead seal washed up by the tidal pool at Andy’s Way. At first I thought it might be driftwood. I finally walked up to look. It was definitely a dead seal, minus its head.
Picture; Sometimes Josh forgets to use his hands.